John E Marks

NEWS OF THE WORLD

Tuesday 29th September 2020 7:41 pm

Flash of remembrance on a start again day
the crumbling of memory, time fades away,
the dominant discourse is undoubtedly drear,
the rolling of thunder, the future speaks clear.

Mesmerised masses accept news of the day,
never question those who hold sway,
woke intelligentsia virtue-signal it's true,
they tear up the debt that we owe to the few.

So many people lost, lonely, confused
don't recognize the country they see on the news:
the violence, the murders, leave them cold and alone,
common decency fled from the place they called home.

🌷(5)

◄ Fable

Psychoanalysis ►

Comments

John Marks

Wed 30th Sep 2020 22:11

Thank you Greg.

“The struggle for a free intelligence has always been a struggle between the ironic and the literal mind.”
― Christopher Hitchens

Greg Freeman

Wed 30th Sep 2020 10:29

Ah, I didn't realise you were using the terms ironically, John. Apologies. I'm glad we agree on our hatred of such terms, although I suspect we hate them for different reasons. I will say that 'woke' slips more easily into a poem than its predecessor, 'political correctness gone mad'. And I hope that is my last word on the subject, and your poem. I'm sure everyone will be glad to hear this.

John Marks

Wed 30th Sep 2020 09:57

The words you refer to Greg were used ironically. I cannot stand these meaningless neologisms. They seek to stifle common decency and cancel open debate - that's the point of the poem. The poem is not about an individual, it is about a society that curtails individual freedom and how alienated from that society many people feel. Thanks to Brian, Paul, Nicola and Stephen.

<Deleted User> (18980)

Wed 30th Sep 2020 08:08

For journalists and politicians it's all about exerting influence and gaining power over the majority of the population. But the majority of the population do not buy into this new-fangled speak such as woke and virtue signal. It turns them off, and until the lefties start talking our language they will not gain the power they seek.

Good poem John, I enjoyed it.

Greg Freeman

Tue 29th Sep 2020 23:42

I've thought about this further, John, and my objection is this. Your poem is written in generalities. You need to be more specific to persuade me. If you're outraged about a particular case - such as in the link you provide - spell out the details of that case in the poem. Like in an early 60s protest song by Dylan. He wrote a number of detailed songs about civil rights cases, atrocities, murders. If you feel your case deserves the same treatment, that might make it more persuasive. Hurling over-used words about doesn't work for me.

Greg Freeman

Tue 29th Sep 2020 23:25

Well, I didn't like it for that particular reason ... that you're using words that will be out of date before we know it, that you will eventually have to Google to find out what they mean. 'Cancel culture' ... same problem again. Because I'm not interested in these terms, I struggle with their meanings. They're slogan words, aren't they? Should they have any place in a crafted poem? It's a mark of respect for your poetry that I ask you this.

John Marks

Tue 29th Sep 2020 23:09

https://www.spiked-online.com/2020/07/27/the-cowardice-of-cancel-culture/

Such liberal authoritarianism is as bad, or worse, as the old fashioned illiberal sort. 'Cancel culture', an oxymoron if ever there was one, is designed to stifle debate. Unfortunately such woke threats to free speech and such pathetic virtue-snarling will be around for a long time, regardless of the jargon used.

I take it you didn't like the poem Greg. Fair do's.

Greg Freeman

Tue 29th Sep 2020 22:28

Will anyone know what the word 'woke' meant five years from now? Or 'virtue-signal'? Just wondering aloud.

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